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Southwest/West Trip with a Jaunt Up North?

Posted by (Chicago) on

I'm heading Ireland for a 2 week trip. After reading up on the country and different sites I decided to spend a significant portion of the trip in the southwest/west (Killarney, Dingle, Galway, and Aran Islands) before heading up north to Donegal and then spending the final couple of days in Belfast and Dublin.

I've decided against renting a car and so will be utilizing public transportation. Does anyone have any recommendations for exploring the Ring of Kerry sans car? Are tours enjoyable or a frustrating shepherding of people from one place to another? Are private guides relatively affordable? I've found a bit of information online but would appreciate any insight from fellow travelers.

The Aran Islands intrigue me but I'm unsure if I should settle into a place in Galway and use it as a base or break up the stay and spend a night or two on the islands. What are the islands like after the last ferry leaves?

Also could anyone provide insight or suggestions for Donegal? I'd like to visit an area which is sightly outside of the normal tourist circuit with a bit of a different culture and Donegal seemed to fit those criteria.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a black cab tour (or something else) of Belfast's Troubles?

Finally are there any common Irish dishes which are vegetarian (no meat or fish and not egg based)? I always like to have a few local items in mind when I'm out eating so I don't have to quiz the waitstaff when I'm not in the mood.

Thank you!!

Posted by
1097 posts

What time of year are you traveling?
We absolutely loved Donegal, also recommend you go to Derry while you are up that way if you're interested in the Troubles.
Why not rent a car? I get the whole other side of the road thing, but Ireland is one place that I would never do without a (very small) car. The off the beaten path places are the best thing to us. I'd not want to be confined to a bus for either the Dingle or Kerry peninsulas. We stopped very frequently when the mood struck. It is so beautiful.

Posted by
36 posts

Thanks for the response! I will travel in mid-April. I'm happy to hear Donegal is worth the time to visit. I'll keep Derry in mind as a stopover on the way to Belfast.

I prefer not to drive even here in the USA - driving on vacation would be the fastest way to make the trip far less enjoyable (and affordable) for me. I am exploring options with how of the off the beaten path areas.

Posted by
267 posts

I took the shuttle and ferry for a day trip to the Aran Islands from Galway, then joined one of the tour guides at the landing to tour the island. It was enjoyable, and I would have enjoyed spending the night and having time to explore more after the tours left. If you're on the tour, Dun Aengus is fairly crowded with people taking endless selfies at the edge, so it would be nice to visit it after the tours leave.

Posted by
36 posts

Thanks - I'm not a big fan if crowds so it sounds like it would be a good idea to spend the night on one of the islands so I can explore it after the last ferry leaves!

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